Behind Closed Doors
by Mimi-McG
Summary: Behind closed doors, they are just two unloved kids. Very young children don't have a place in a home like that. [Young!Cas/Dean to Teens] [Mentions of child abuse] [Possible feels] [Future Destiel - Hopefully]
1. Chapter 1

**Soo... this is my first chapter fic of Supernatural and hopefully not the last. The first part of this has 5 chapters, so it's pretty short.  
** **Don't worry, there IS a sequel, but I don't know whether to post it as more chapters here or to give it an entirely new story thing. It really doesn't and won't ever make sense if you haven't read this one!**

 **Anyway, I'm going to upload a chapter every week or so. Quick notice - the more reviews I get, the quicker I update!**

* * *

Dean Winchester grumbled as he trudged into the living room, dragging his Batman backpack along the floor. "Don wanna go," he sniffed to his mother, who was buttering him a piece of toast.  
"Dean, you're a big boy now," Mary knelt beside her son, "And big boys have to go to play group."  
"I'm only four!" he said, holding up three fingers, causing his mom to chuckle.  
"Yep, and all four year olds go to play group," she countered, lifting her son and placing him in a chair. "Now, eat your toast before your father comes down." Dean huffed and began pulling apart his toast, getting butter all over his fingers. They'd need to be washed before he left, meaning he could splash water all over his clothes and change, delaying their start to day care.

John came downstairs dressed in a navy suit over a white shirt and a blue tie. "How do I look?" he asked Mary, planting a kiss on her cheek.  
"Extremely well dressed," she replied, straightening his tie.  
"And how's my little champ this morning?" John directed his attention to the messy boy sitting at the table.  
"Don wanna go to play group," the four year old said resolutely.  
"Yeah, well, daddy doesn't want to go to this interview but we can't all get what we want," he replied, "Your hands are all sticky, Dean, let's get them washed up!"  
"Do NOT take that boy into the bathroom," Mary called from the stairs, "There are baby wipes on the coffee table."  
"Busted," John grinned at his son, who was now sulking, "Your mother knows you too well!" Dean said nothing, but didn't refuse when his dad gave his hands a clean.

Dean didn't say anything more until they arrived at the play group. "I'm not gonna know anyone," he sulked.  
"That's the best part, Deano," his dad grinned from the driver's seat. "You get to make loads of new friends!"  
"I don't want to make new friends!" his lip quivered and his eyes teared up, "I want to go back to the old place and play with Jared and Jensen and Misha!" The waterworks had started now, and Mary jumped out of the car to cradle her child in her arms.  
"It'll be okay, Dean," she whispered to her son, "We'll all go out for ice cream tonight, how does that sound?" Dean nodded, wiping his closed fist over his eyes.  
"Okay mommy," he forced himself to smile, although he really didn't feel like smiling.  
"And who knows, they might have Batman toys inside!" John joined them at the side of the car, watching as Dean's face lit up. If there was one thing that could stop Dean from crying, it was the thought of there being anything to do with Batman inside.

Dean grasped his mother's hand as they walked up to the front desk, where a woman was checking in two boys, while their father glanced at his watch and glared at the poor receptionist.  
"Is this going to take much longer?" he said in a monotone, "I have a meeting I'd rather not be late to."  
"I'm sorry, Mr Novak, Castiel is new here so we need to get the documents in order before we can-" she tried to explain, but was rudely cut off.  
"Well, I don't have time to wait for flimsy pieces of paper," he said coldly, with a hint of anger in his voice. Alarmed at the sudden outburst, the receptionist looked back at her computer and quickly printed something off and handed it to Mr Novak.  
"You need to sign that during the day and bring it back when you come to collect Gabriel and Castiel," she spoke calmly but quickly, "It's to declare that you're willing to allow us to take Castiel in for the day, Gabriel's is still valid for this year."  
"Great," he said, roughly folding the piece of paper and shoving it inside his suit pocket.  
"Don't leave, daddy," the youngest, presumably Castiel, grabbed the corner of the man's suit.  
"Don't be such a baby," the man replied, pushing the little hand away from him, "I'm out of here." And with that, he turned and left his two children without as much as a goodbye. The little dark haired boy scrunched his face up and began to wail hysterically, while the older of the two, with blond hair, just shrugged and waited for the receptionist to open the door that led to the play area.  
"Hey, Castiel," the receptionist took the boy in her arms, "You wanna join me behind the desk for a little while?" The boy nodded, tears and snot still pouring down his face. "You go on and play, Gabe." The blond boy pushed open the door and sauntered inside, a scowl on his face. John had never seen a boy look so unhappy.

"Hi," the receptionist gave John and Mary a smile, "I'm Ellen Harvelle, the life and soul of play group,"  
"Hi," John returned her smile, "I'm John Winchester, and this is my wife, Mary."  
"And the little guy must be Dean!" Ellen sat at the desk, a grizzly Castiel placed on her knee, and smiled down at Dean, who had cowered behind his father's legs. "We've had five new starts this year, and Dean's the last to arrive,"  
"Well, he tried to get out of coming," Mary said sympathetically, "He's always had trouble making new friends,"  
"Oh, well, I'm sure he'll make plenty here!" Ellen smiled, "How about Dean and Castiel go into the play area together, while I sort out the paperwork?" Castiel looked like he was going to turn on the waterworks again, but Dean took it in his stride.  
"Cas-tel…" he tried, but realised it didn't sound quite right. "Can I call you Cas? I can't say your full name." Castiel just nodded, putting his thumb in his mouth. Ellen lifted him down and Dean grabbed his other hand. "Come on Cas," Dean grinned, "Let's go play!" The boys disappeared through the door into the play area.

"Well, that was easy," Ellen sighed, "I didn't think Castiel would leave my side all morning!"  
"Hmm…"John mused, "Is their father always that…" he searched for the right word.  
"Cold?" Ellen suggested, "Unfortunately, yes. Gabe's been coming here since he was two – he's five now – but I refused Cas entry last year because he was so small and could hardly walk."  
"Poor lad," John shook his head, "I bet their dad didn't much appreciate that!"  
"Well, between you and me," Ellen lowered her voice to a whisper, "I've tried to find a way to get the boys taken off him, to no avail. They didn't care that there was a three year old in the house that was still crawling."  
"He was three before he could walk properly?" Mary gasped, her head turning towards the playroom door that was firmly closed. "Dean was tottering around at one!"  
"Yeah, well, Castiel didn't seem too enthusiastic to come last year either… At least he can walk and sort of talk now," Ellen shook her head, pulling a piece of paper from the printer, "I just need you to sign here, and here, and then we're good to go!" John and Mary exchanged glances, but both signed their names on the dotted lines.  
"Do you mind if we say goodbye?" Mary asked as she handed back the papers.  
"Not at all, come on through," Ellen stood and led them through to the playroom, where at least fifteen children ranging from three to five were playing noisily in different areas. "We try to rotate the playing – some play with costume, some with dolls, some with the cars, and so on, then after about an hour we rotate them round so they're doing something new and playing with different children. I do think we'll keep Castiel with Dean for today, at least," she gestured to where the two four year old boys were sitting on the floor, with Batman action figures in their hands while Dean explained the whole game to Castiel, who was watching him with wide eyes.

When Dean saw his parents had entered, he placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder and said something they couldn't hear, before running to his parents. "Me and Cas are gonna play Batman!" he grinned, "He's gonna play as the baddies and I'm gonna play as the goodies!"  
"Sounds great, Deano," John ruffled the boy's hair, "We'll see you at three, then?"  
"See you at three," Dean nodded, hugging both his parents before running back to where Castiel was waiting for him.  
"Yep, definitely going to keep those two boys together today!" Ellen smiled as the two boys began to play. She showed the Winchesters out and reassured them Dean would be in capable hands, before returning to the playroom to help her co-workers, Jody and Ash, watch the children.

Gabriel sulked in the corner, glancing over at his little brother who seemed to be happily playing with Dean. Dad wouldn't like that. Castiel would be bending his ear all the way home, and that never ended well for either of them. Gabriel had long since learnt to keep his mouth shut about playgroup, and he didn't join in with the other children anymore. He found it easier not to get too excited when asked about his day when he hadn't done anything too exciting in the first place. He supposed Castiel would learn that tonight, when he got a beating, because no doubt the little brat would be full of himself. Gabriel had tried so hard in the past year or so to shelter his brother from their father, who had taken the leave of their mother when Castiel was a baby very hard. He couldn't remember a time when their father was loving and warm, but the photos on the mantelpiece in their home, showing pictures of the four of them together, showed that those times had existed. In every single one, his dad was smiling at the camera, one or sometimes both children in his arms and one around their mother. Gabriel didn't have any memories of her. He knew what she looked like only from the pictures – she had the same golden hair as him, but her eyes were bright blue like those of Castiel. Gabriel's eyes were grey, like his father, and occasionally expressed the same steely glare his father wore all the time. Maybe he'd spent too much time with the man.

* * *

Gabriel was right about his predictions. When their father came to collect them, Castiel started crying. Again. He didn't want to go home, he wanted to stay with Dean and Garth, his two new friends that had played with him all day. "Castiel," the man said sternly, grabbing his arm, "We're leaving, I don't have time for your blubbering!" Castiel froze in shock, and allowed his father to drag him out of playgroup and to the car outside. Dean stood at the window and waved, a confused frown on his face.  
"Miss Ellen?" he asked, when it was just him and four others left while he waited for his parents to arrive.  
"Yes, Dean?"  
"Why doesn't Cas' daddy love him?" Dean asked, sitting beside the older woman, "My daddy and mommy love me, but Cas' daddy doesn't seem like he loves him at all!"  
"I think Castiel's daddy does love him," Ellen said hesitantly, "He just… loves him differently than you're used to,"  
"But he looks evil, like Penguin from Batman." Dean frowned, resting his head in his hands, "I don't like him, and I don't think Castiel does either."

It wasn't long before Mary and John arrived to collect Dean, who had gone back to playing with the cars on the play mat. "MOMMY!" he yelled when he saw them, "DADDY!" The grin on his face told them he'd had a great day and was glad to see them. "You'll never guess all the things I've done today!"  
"Well," John grinned, picking up his son, "You'll have to tell us all about it!"  
"And we have some news for you, too, Dean," Mary joined in, a soft smile on her face.  
"What?" Dean looked at his mother, the confused frown was back, "News for me?"  
"News for us all," John grinned widely, "but we'll wait until after dinner, when we have that ice cream mummy promised."  
"Okay!" Dean latched his arms around his dad's neck. "Goodbye Miss Ellen and Miss Jody and Mr Ash!"  
"See you tomorrow, Dean-o!" Ash called from where he was playing Barbies with a little girl.  
"See you tomorrow kiddo," Ellen ruffled the boy's hair, a smile on her face. John carried him out to the car and buckled him in to his car seat.  
"Can't wait to go back and play with Cas tomorrow!" Dean grinned as his dad started up the engine.  
"See?" Mary said, "I told you it'd be fun!"

* * *

 **Oh, the chapters are pretty short... I can't write for long periods of time because I get bored. But, short and sweet is good sometimes, and in the coming chapters you'll be glad of it!**

 **Remember: Follows/Favourites/Reviews mean quicker uploads!**


	2. Chapter 2

**First mentions of a Sam in this one, although they don't know whether its a Sam or Samantha ;) Also the first mentions of child abuse so please don't read it if you're not comfortable!**

 **Remember - reviews/follows/favourites make me upload faster ;)**

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Dean rushed into the playgroup the next day with exciting news for everyone who would listen. "Miss Ellen!" he rushed to the front desk the minute he arrived, followed by his parents, "I'm gonna have a baby brother or sister!"  
"That's great news, Dean!" Ellen chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Is that mommy and daddy's news from last night?"  
"Yep, mommy found out two months ago and they've kept it a secret this whole time!" Dean rolled his eyes, "She's really good at keeping secrets."  
"Great stuff Dean," Ellen smiled, "You can go straight in and play, Castiel isn't here yet but I doubt he'll be long," Dean nodded and headed through, probably going straight to the Batman figures. "Congratulations," Ellen said to Mary, "So we'll have another of your kids before long," she winked.  
"Hopefully," Mary said excitedly, "Dean's so chuffed with the whole thing, he's rooting for a baby brother."  
"Either way, I'm sure he'll be proud as punch when the baby comes!" Ellen said, just as a tearful Castiel walked in holding Gabriel's hand. The other of his arms was in a sling, and under that a blue cast could be seen.  
"Dad couldn't come in," Gabriel said coldly, "Because we were late."  
"What happened to Castiel?" Ellen asked, horror on her face.  
"Fell down the stairs last night, he's broken his wrist." Gabriel said, but he didn't seem too sure of himself. Castiel sniffed and nodded, as if to confirm the story. "Dad says he can't play too much today, so we're only here until 12:30."  
"Oh my, that's terrible!" Mary said, kneeling down to Castiel's eye level, "I bet that was really sore, wasn't it?" she asked, wiping away one of Castiel's tears with her thumb.  
"Uh-uh huh," Castiel sniffed.  
"I'm sure we can find you a nice, quiet activity to do today," Ellen joined Mary, "How about we put it in a plastic bag and get out the paints?" Castiel nodded, wiping his eyes with his good hand.  
"Can I paint Batman?" he asked quietly.  
"You can paint whatever you'd like," Ellen said, lifting the boy and seeing the Winchester's out. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that there was no way Castiel fell down the stairs.

Castiel wasn't as bubbly as he had been the day before. Dean bounded up to him and thrust a toy into his good arm and didn't question the one in a cast and sling. "Deano," Ellen said gently, "Cas is gonna play with the paint this morning, do you want to join him?"  
"Okay Miss Ellen," Dean nodded, heading over to the table where Ash was setting out a few tubs of paint. "Can I have the blue apron?" he asked Cas, who still hadn't spoken a word. He just nodded, looking to the ground. Dean frowned. "You can have it if you want it, Cas," he said, "Please don't be upset!"  
"I don't think he's upset about you having the blue one Dean," Ash sat beside the boy, "I think he got a bit hurt last night and now he's a bit sad," he pointed to the bright blue cast on his arm.  
"Oh," Dean looked to his friend, "You can have the blue one, it'll match your arm!" Castiel gave his friend a small smile and a whispered thanks. "Don't be sad, Cas," Dean said, wrapping his arms around Castiel's neck in a hug.  
"I won't," Castiel whispered back, but he didn't smile again. The boys painted until snack time, where they sat together in silence. Dean didn't seem too happy, but he didn't force Cas to talk either – if he wanted to, he would. "How about we do some reading after this?" Dean asked, "I'm sure Miss Jody will read to us!"  
"Okay Dean," Castiel nodded, finishing his sliced banana.

As soon as the clock struck 12:30, Castiel was ready to go home. He had cleared away his play things and was standing by Gabriel when his father arrived. "Bye Dean," he waved as he walked out behind the man without a fuss. "I still don't like Mr Novak," Dean frowned, talking to Ash. "He's too mean to Castiel."  
"What's he told you, Deano?" Ash asked, a serious tone in his voice.  
"Nothing really," he replied, his head cocked to one side, "But he can't remember falling down the stairs on accident."  
"How does he remember falling down the stairs?" Ash's face was full of worry.  
"He thinks he was pushed, but he doesn't remember much because he hit his head pretty bad." Dean shrugged, "He's probably just forgotted when he hurt his head." Somehow, Ash didn't think Castiel was lying about being pushed.

* * *

There wasn't a lot Ash could do about the situation, except report his findings. Over the next few days, Ellen tried to get Castiel to tell her himself, but the boy just seemed to get quieter and quieter, not even talking to Dean by the end of the week. They didn't push it after a while – it was evident Castiel wasn't going to talk about it. After five weeks, Castiel turned up on the Thursday without the customary bright blue cast everyone seemed to remember of him, but he still held his arm close to him. It was to be expected, as his arm would probably feel a little wobbly for a while until it was back to full strength. Dean was ecstatic that his friend's arm wasn't still broken, and he rushed to hug him the minute he arrived. "CAS!" Dean grinned, flinging his arms around the black haired boy. "You're not all broken anymore!"  
"Nope, not broken anymore, but my arm doesn't feel like an arm anymore either!" Castiel said, the first full sentence he'd uttered in over a month.  
"I'm sure you just need to use it like a normal arm for it to feel normal again," Dean grinned, "And you know what that means?"  
"We can play Batman again?" Cas asked.  
"Yep," Dean grinned, "And I'll even let you be Batman!" Cas' face lit up as he ran off to play Batman with Dean. Mr Novak, who had been standing by his son for the whole conversation, gave a small growl from the back of his throat that made Gabriel flinch, before he turned and strode out.

By the end of the day, it wouldn't have been known that Castiel had a broken arm at all. He seemed to have forgotten about it and was running around like a normal four year old. Mr Novak entered the room and cleared his throat, but Castiel didn't hear him at first. He was too busy hollering because he was pretending to be a superhero. "Castiel," Gabriel grabbed his brother's shoulder, "It's time to go," he said through gritted teeth.  
"Aww, do I have to?" Castiel mumbled, "I'm in the middle of-" At that point, he caught sight of his father's thunderous face and gulped, just as Mary Winchester arrived to collect Dean.  
"MOMMY!" Dean called, "CAN CAS COME TO OURS CAN HE CAN HE?" he gabbled.  
"Calm down Dean," Mary chuckled, ruffling her boy's hair, "Not tonight, but maybe at the weekend?" she turned towards Mr Novak, as if asking for permission.  
"It's fine by me," the man growled, "In fact, you can take the other one too, I have a business meeting and it'd be a chore to take him with me,"  
"Er, no problem." Mary frowned, looking at a scowling Gabriel, "I'll collect them from here tomorrow then and take them back to ours."  
"Good," the man grasped both of his children's shoulders and pushed them out.  
"See what I mean, mommy?" Dean said as he drove away, "I don't think he loves them."  
"Certainly doesn't look like it," Mary put her arm around her son's shoulders and they walked to their own car together.

* * *

Dean could barely contain his excitement the next afternoon when his dad came to pick the three boys up. Gabriel was sulking, as usual, and Castiel just stared at John with wide eyes. "Bye Miss Ellen!" Dean waved as he took Castiel's hand and dragged him out of the door.  
"Hold on there, champ," John grinned, shuffling the boy's belongings into on hand to open the car door for them. "Gabe, son, you're in the front with me, if that's alright." The blond boy nodded, opening the door and climbing into the booster seat and putting his seat belt on. "Good lad," Castiel and Dean got seated in matching booster seats and the bags were tossed in the boot, before John got in himself and drove off.

Gabriel's eyes widened at the Winchester's house. It was nothing like his own – the walls were neutral colours, but lightened the rooms significantly, and all the hard furniture was polished wood. "Dean, you and Cas are gonna sleep in the playroom on the sofa bed," Mary smiled at the pair, and then looked to Gabriel who was still looking around, "Gabe, you have the run of Dean's room for the weekend," she smiled, "Thought you might appreciate a bit of space you can call your own while you're here."  
"Thank you Mrs Winchester," he said sincerely. "Is it alright if I go and get changed?"  
"Of course, Gabriel," Mary smiled, "I'll show you upstairs. Dean, be a darling and take Cas' things to your playroom?"  
"Yes mommy," Dean grabbed the light bag and Cas' hand, taking them both with him in the opposite direction.

"Mrs Winchester?" Gabriel asked as soon as they were alone in Dean's room.  
"Yes, honey?" Mary busied herself emptying the five year old's bag.  
"If I knew something was happening that wasn't right, is it okay for me to keep it quiet like I promised or should I still tell someone?" he sat on the bed and took one of Dean's toys, holding it in front of him.  
"If you know something's not okay, Gabe, you have to tell someone no matter what you promised," Mary frowned, "What makes you ask?"  
"Oh, it's just…" he began, but trailed off.  
"You can tell me, sweetie," Mary knelt in front of him and took his hands in her own, "What's happened?"  
"Castiel didn't fall down the stairs," he gulped.  
"Okay," Mary said slowly, "What did happen?"  
"Daddy pushed him." Mary took a deep breath and looked at the poor boy in front of her. He looked scared, with tears in his eyes that threatened to fall.  
"Has daddy hurt you too?" she asked gently, earning a nod from Gabriel, whose tears had started to fall. "Can you show me where he's hurt you?"  
"Uh huh," Gabriel slid off the bed and began trying to pull his shirt off, but seemed to get stuck halfway. Mary chuckled slightly and helped him, and that was when she saw the bruises.

Dark blue and purple patches littered the boy's shoulders, chest and back, and there was a deep cut across one of his shoulder blades that looked dirty and infected. Mary felt herself getting teary. She didn't know this child at all, had barely met him, but the fact someone could do this sort of thing to a child was disgusting and upsetting at the same time. "He doesn't do it anywhere else," Gabriel said quietly, "He does it to teach us a lesson."  
"Thank you for telling me, Gabriel," Mary kissed the boy's head as she stood up. "Shall we get that cut cleaned in the bathroom, and then go see the damage on Cas?" Gabriel nodded, taking Mary's hand and allowing her to take him across the hallway to the bathroom. They met John outside, who looked just as shocked as she was. "Go and get Castiel, it looks as if he's got the same."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again :3 Sorry for the delay... It's been hard because I've had writers block on chapter 6...  
** **If you're worried this is moving too fast... DON'T! It's supposed to move quickly :3  
** **There's going to be around 10 chapters in all, maybe more depending on how much I get into it, but it doesn't just focus on baby Dean and Cas either! You'll (hopefully) like it? :')**

 **Don't forget to +fav, +follow and +review! :D**

* * *

Gabriel winced as the warm water stung the cut across his shoulder. The tears that had stained his face had long ago dried. "Good lad, Gabe," Mary comforted him, "I know it hurts." Castiel was confused when John brought him upstairs to the bathroom, Dean in tow. But he froze when he saw his brother standing topless in the bathroom letting Mary tend to his wound.  
"Castiel," Gabriel smiled through gritting teeth as Mary wiped away the dried blood and gunk, "You need to show them what he's done to you, okay?"  
"But… but we promised, Gabriel!" Castiel began to panic, "We promised we wouldn't!"  
"It's not right, Castiel!" Gabriel argued, "He can't do it again, not if we tell someone." Castiel looked at his brother, both with tears in their eyes.  
"Okay Gabriel…" Castiel's lip quivered as he held up his arms for John to remove his shirt too. Dean's mouth hung open. Castiel had a badly wrapped bandage around his chest and back, that probably covered something much nastier underneath.  
"This might sting a little, Cas," John said, kneeling down to unravel the bandaged mess.

Castiel screamed as the bandage was pulled apart from his skin. "Oh Cas, I'm so sorry," John said, tears in his own eyes as he gave it one last tug, earning another scream from the four year old. There were three horizontal cuts across the boy's back, now oozing a thick yellow gunk and crimson blood.  
"Cas," Dean whimpered, looking at his friend, "I'll kill him, I promise!" Dean hugged his friend gently, avoiding the nasty gashes on his back. Castiel buried his head into Dean's shoulder and sobbed.  
"Let me clean them, Cas," Mary placed a hand on the little boy's shoulder. "They'll feel better when they're clean." Castiel was hesitant at first, but Gabriel nodded behind her as if to reassure him, so he turned around to let her wash them.

* * *

It took two hours to fully clean the cuts, and by then Castiel felt truly sick to the stomach. The pain had been almost unbearable for his little body. The water stung as it delved deep into the slashes and cleansed them. "They aren't too deep, Cas," Mary reassured him, though it felt she was reassuring herself more, "We'll wrap it up again once it's all dry, with proper sterilized stuff. How does that sound?" Castiel just nodded, still crying and unable to stop. Gabriel's shoulder was wrapped up in a clean bandage already, and he'd put a clean shirt over it. Dean had been sitting on the toilet with the seat down, watching his mother work while John had bandaged Gabe and then gone to cook them all some food for when they were finished. Mary carefully towel dried Cas and then John came to wrap him up. After being in the military, he was well practised in such endeavours, although he hadn't thought back then he'd have to use those lessons on a four year old boy that was staying the weekend.

That night, long after the boys had been settled into bed, John and Mary had a conversation. "We can't let them go back to him," Mary said, bringing up the subject they'd been avoiding all evening.  
"Well, I doubt Mr Novak would be very impressed if he came to collect his kids and we point blank told him he wasn't allowed to take them!" John sighed, "And I do not want to get into a fistfight with that man," he added as an afterthought.  
"I don't want to fight with him either, but its child abuse and I can't stand it!" Mary shivered slightly, and John put his arm around her."  
"Please don't make us go back," a small voice came from their open bedroom door. Gabriel stood there in a pair of pyjamas a size too small, watching them with wide eyes. "Please, don't let him take us,"  
"We're not planning on it, sweetie," Mary smiled, holding out her arm and beckoning the boy towards her. He ran to her immediately and she pulled him into a hug, watching not to hurt his bad shoulder any more than it already was. "We'll call social services in the morning, okay?" Gabriel looked confused.  
"What do they do?" he asked.  
"They help children who aren't in very nice homes to get out of the bad place and into a better one," John explained, "And they'll probably give your daddy a very strict telling off and he'll have to pay for his crimes."  
"So he'll go to jail?" Gabriel sat on the end of the master bed and looked at them, "I hope he does, he hurt my brother."  
"Either he'll go to jail, or he'll have to pay a lot of money and have to do some unpaid work," Mary said, "But don't you worry about it, you just have to tell the nice people you'll meet tomorrow exactly what happened and they'll do the rest."  
"Okay," Gabriel yawned, slipping off the bed. Mary stood up and took the boy's hand, taking him back to Dean's room and tucking him into bed.  
"Goodnight, Gabe," she whispered as she closed his bedroom door.

* * *

The next morning, all three boys had a lie in. As soon as Mary was dressed, she called social services and the police alerting them of the situation. Over the phone, they told her not to let the boys go to anyone and to wake them and ready them. They weren't too rushed – they told Mary – the boys were in good hands for now. They would come at lunchtime to interview the boys and the Winchesters, then track down Mr Novak if they had a strong enough case against him. Mary assured the man over the phone they would.

Mary woke Gabriel first, gently shaking his arm. "Come on, Gabe, it's time to wake up," Mary whispered to him. The boy opened his eyes almost instantly and sat up. "Whoa, take it easy bud," she grinned.  
"Oh, I thought it was…" he started, his breathing slowing.  
"The people are coming at lunchtime so you need to get ready," she said calmly, "Do you want a bath?" He shook his head. "Okay, well get up and let me see how it is today." Gabriel dangled his legs off the side of the bed and Mary removed his shirt. The bandage was still in place, and it hadn't been soaked through. In fact, when she removed it, the cut was still quite clean and seemed to have started to scab at the edges. "It looks alright today, sweetie," she smiled, changing the bandage and re-covering it.  
"Okay," he bit his lip, "I'm gonna get dressed now."  
"Sure, kid," she said, standing, "I'm gonna go wake your brother."

Castiel was less enthusiastic to wake up. He groaned slightly and pulled the duvet over his head when asked to get up. Mary rolled her eyes and pulled the covers off him, causing him to look at her through half closed eyes. "Come on, Cas," she said, "I've got to check your back and get you washed and dressed before some people come to speak to you,"  
"Who's coming?" Dean said groggily, half sitting up.  
"Just some people that are going to help Cas and Gabe," she answered, "You'd better get up too."  
"Do I have to?" he groaned. Saturday was one of the two days he DIDN'T have to get up early.  
"Yes, you do," she said sternly, "Besides, Cas is awake and he might grab the Batman toys before you're even dressed!" At that, Dean shot up and ran to the bathroom.  
"Hurry up, mommy!" he called behind him, "I need a bath!"

Castiel's cuts were a bit gungy again when Mary checked them, so she placed Cas in the bath after Dean was finished and gently washed them, along with his hair and the rest of his body. "You're very brave, Castiel," she smiled as she poured a jug of warm water over his head to rinse out the soap. He simply shrugged, but winced slightly as the soapy water ran down his back. When he was clean, he allowed Mary to dry and dress him in a pair of Dean's clean jeans and a dark blue polo shirt that also belonged to Dean. He brought them up for Cas, with the comment that all Castiel's clothes were too frayed for him meeting new people and that he needed smart clothes for that.  
"Thank you, Dean," Castiel said sincerely when he saw him downstairs.  
"S'ok Cas, you look much better now." Dean grinned, "Can we play Batman before the people come?" Mary nodded, and the boys charged off to the playroom. Gabriel hung around, in a worn cotton shirt and a pale pair of jeans that had definitely seen better days.  
"When are they getting here?" Gabriel asked, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.  
"It shouldn't be long now," Mary replied, "Why don't you help me make some cake?"  
"I-I don't know how…" he stammered.  
"It's okay, I'll show you!" Mary said, pulling up a booster stool Dean used when he helped her bake. She fished out a spare apron too, and tied it behind his back. "Now, first things first, you need to wash your hands."

It turned out that Gabriel really enjoyed helping in the kitchen. He was tense at first, constantly worried he was going to get something wrong and then be punished, but he soon realised that Mary was nothing like his father and helped him correct mistakes rather than curse and shout. He relaxed into it, happily whisking eggs in a mug with a fork, sieving flour and then licking the whisk when the batter was complete. He watched as Mary tipped the batter into two cake tins and spread them evenly, then stood back as she put them both in the oven. "Now, the only problem with cooking," Mary grinned as Gabriel licked the whisk clean, "Is that an awful mess is made. So, you're going to have to help me tidy up this kitchen!" Gabriel looked to the workstation – it, along with himself, was covered in flour, splattered cake mix and greasy butter smears from his fingers. He gulped.  
"I didn't know we'd made such a mess…" he said quietly.  
"It's not a problem," Mary said, rinsing a cloth under the hot tap. "Why don't you start wiping the worktop down and I'll pile up all the dishes for washing?" Anything to keep the poor boy busy and his mind off the social services and police visit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Your reviews are what keep me writing :3 Thank you if you've already followed/faved/reviewed, and I hope some new readers will! We're coming to the end of the tots, and we're getting to the next (and longer) section!**

* * *

Gabriel watched with wide eyes as Mary took the cake they'd made out of the oven. It was golden brown, and had risen nicely. It looked delicious. "We'll wait for it to cool," she smiled, "And then you can help me decorate it."  
"Okay," he nodded – it seemed like a good idea to him.  
"Let's go and get cleaned up then," she said, helping him untie his apron and ushering him towards the downstairs toilet. Just as Gabriel started washing his hands in the small sink, there was a knock on the front door. "Is that the people coming to see me and Castiel?" he asked, looking up at Mary.  
"Probably," she nodded, "You finish cleaning up and I'll go let them in."

At the door stood two men in police uniform and a man and woman dressed in smart suits. "Good afternoon, ma'am," one of the officers said, "I'm Officer Henriksen, this is my partner, Officer Washington, and this is Emily Granger and Arran Fetcher from social services. We got a call this morning about a case of child abuse?"  
"That's correct," Mary nodded, "I'm the one that called in," At that moment, Gabriel left the bathroom and stood in the hall, facing the officers.  
"Is that your boy, Mrs Winchester?" the woman from social services asked.  
"Oh, no, that's Gabriel." Mary replied, "He's the little guy that alerted me to the problem in the first place. Please, come on in."

"So, Mrs Winchester," Officer Henriksen started, "Can you explain how this claim came about?" She nodded, explaining that Mr Novak had pretty much shoved the boys into her care for the weekend and when she'd taken Gabriel upstairs, he'd told her that his father had hurt his brother and himself. "On removal of Gabriel's shirt, I saw the bruising and a deep wound that he told me was inflicted by his father," she continued, "He warned me that his brother, Castiel, was in a worse state than he was and then later begged me not to send them back to live with their father."  
"And what immediate action did you take upon hearing this awful news?" he questioned.  
"I cleaned the wound on Gabriel's shoulder, and at the same time, I asked my husband to retrieve Castiel so that I could do the same with the three wounds on his back, which were slightly infected," she said, "John, using his military training, then bandaged them back up so that they'd stay clean overnight. The bandages were changed again this morning."  
"Right, we've got your statement recorded," Officer Washington said with a straight face, stopping the recording device. "Do you mind if the social services team take a look at the boys?"  
"Not at all," Mary said, "I'll go and get them."  
"Can you bring Dean, too?" Emily Granger asked, "We'd like to speak to him about his friends."

* * *

Mary had sent Gabriel to play with Cas and Dean until he was needed, and when she interrupted them, they were all lying on the floor on their stomachs making crayon drawings of each other.  
"Come on boys, you're needed," Mary smiled warmly. Gabriel was the first to his feet, knowing the seriousness of the situation. Castiel and Dean probably didn't fully understand, but then, they were only young.  
"Even me, mommy?" Dean asked.  
"Especially you!" Mary said, "Go and head on through to the dining room and introduce yourselves."

Dean arrived ahead of the Novak boys, climbing up onto the chair Mary had previously occupied. "Hi," he grinned, "I'm Dean Winchester!"  
"Hello, Dean," Officer Henriksen smiled, "Have you been being good for your mother?"  
"I'm always good for my mommy," he nodded enthusiastically.  
"Do you know why we're here, Dean?" Emily asked gently.  
"Uh huh," he said, his tone more serious, "You're here because Cas and Gabe's daddy isn't very nice." At that moment, Castiel and Gabriel walked in, holding hands. Gabriel's expression was almost unreadable, whereas Castiel looked like a deer caught in headlights. His face was white and he looked terrified. Dean hopped down from his chair and headed towards his friends. "This one is Gabe," he pointed to Gabriel, "And this is my best friend in the whole world Cas," he placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder.  
"Hello, boys," Emily spoke calmly. "We need to check your injuries, if that's okay?"  
"And then we'll ask you how you got them," Arran Fetcher smiled.  
"Okay," Gabriel nodded, and Castiel copied, but still didn't speak.

Mary stood at the door while Emily and Arran unravelled the bandaged from the boys, watching their faces drop as they saw the severity of the wounds. Emily's fingers traced over the bruises on Gabriel's back, causing him to wince slightly. "Sorry, hon," she said apologetically, "I take it they're very sore?"  
"Uh huh," he nodded.  
"How did you get them?" she asked gently as she wrapped him back up.  
"Dad hits me a lot, so I have them all the time," he answered, "He has a whip thing with that razor wire stuff wrapped around it and he dragged it across me and that's how I got the cut thing,"  
"Is that the same for you, Cas?" Arran asked as he assessed his wounds, which had stayed clean this time. The boy, who still hadn't spoken, nodded.  
"I think we have enough proof now," Emily helped Gabriel with his shirt and then stood, turning to the Officers that had been watching from afar. "I'd like to file a case against Mr Novak for child abuse, and to obtain a warrant to remove the boys from his care immediately."  
"We'll take you to the station to fill out the forms," Officer Henriksen told her, "I'll tell the men to look up everything there is to know about Mr Novak, find out his car registration and where it was last seen, then move in to arrest him."  
"And we'll never have to see him again?" the light had returned to Gabriel's eyes. It was heart breaking to see a little boy seem really happy that he would never have to lay eyes on his father again.  
"No, you won't," Emily smiled, "We may need to speak to you again though, to record a statement, just in case your daddy denies the charges and we have to take him to court."  
"But I won't have to see him," Gabriel said, "So that's good."  
"Mrs Winchester, is it alright for the boys to stay with you for a few nights, until we can find a more permanent solution?" Arran asked.  
"Of course, they're no trouble," she replied, "And Dean loves the company."

* * *

Two months later, Gabriel and Castiel were honorary members of the family. Mary had refused to let them go into care, and had insisted on looking after them until they were suitable for adoption, or until such a time as their mother could be traced. When she'd left, she hadn't made it easy to be found. The guest room had been transformed into a room for Gabriel, and Dean's room now had bunk beds for him and Cas. Mary was close to her due date and all three boys were excited for the arrival of baby Sam, who was to be the fourth boy in the family.

One day, though, about a week before Mary was due to give birth, she received a phone call. She'd been home all day, and John had gone out to pick the boys up from playgroup, so she pushed her enormous self from the chair and hobbled towards the phone. Pregnancy had always made her limbs feel like lead, and today was no exception. "Hello, Winchesters," she said, trying to sound less tired than she was.  
"Is this Mrs Winchester?" the voice at the other end asked.  
"Yes, may I ask who is calling?" she replied.  
"It's Emily Granger, from social services," the woman spoke, "We have some news for you, so you might want to sit down."  
"I'm sitting," Mary said with an exhausted sigh, trying to get into a comfortable position on the dining room chairs.  
"We've found the mother of Gabriel and Castiel Novak," Emily said.  
"Oh…"Mary sounded dejected.  
"She expressed an interest in taking full custody of her children, so we met her at our office yesterday and asked her a few questions," Emily said cheerfully, "And she checks out. She says she'll be able to take the boys back within two weeks."  
"They're a big part of the family now," Mary frowned, "It'd break Dean's heart if he had to say goodbye."  
"Mary, hon, we all knew this might happen, that there was always a possibility that she'd want them," the woman tried to reason.  
"So I'm just expected to hand over two boys we've looked after like our own to an absolute stranger?" she argued, not ready to let the situation go.  
"I'm sorry, Mary, there's nothing we can do," Emily said sympathetically, "The woman is their legal parent and has every right to take them back."  
"Right," Mary sighed, leaning back against the chair, "I supposed I'd better prepare them for the inevitable."  
"I'm truly sorry, Mary. I'll speak to you over the next week with the details." The receiver clicked off, and Mary rested her pounding head in her hand. Where had this headache come from? She wasn't sure, but when she stood up, she immediately fell forwards onto her knees, and then onto her side. She could remember hearing the front door open and close, the sound of little feet on the laminate, and the shouts of John before she fell unconscious.

* * *

 **CLIFF HANGER! ;)**


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